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Philippine leftist rebels release 2 gov't soldiers

Xinhua, April 19, 2017 Adjust font size:

New People's Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, released on Wednesday two government soldiers abducted more than two months ago in southern Mindanao.

Maj. Gen. Rafael Valencia, commander of the Army's 10th Infantry Division, said the two soldiers were freed around 9 a.m. in Matanao town in Davao del Sur.

In a phone interview, Valencia said the soldiers were turned over by the rebels to a group, led by a former Davao del Sur congressman.

Valencia said they were later taken to a hospital in Davao City for medical checkup. "They will undergo psychological test and the usual debriefing," he said.

The soldiers were intercepted by NPA rebels on Feb. 2 in Columbio town in Sultan Kudarat while aboard a motorcycle. Unarmed and on civilian clothes, the two soldiers were on the way to their base at that time.

The abduction came while the communists and the government were still observing their respective unilateral ceasefires and while the two sides are talking peace in the negotiating table. Endite